Welcome to Phynyx Ministries!

Hello Beautiful Survivor!

Welcome to Phynyx Ministries, a place where you can obtain lots of helpful information to help you break your silence and begin to heal from being sexually assaulted. If you are not a Sexual Assault Survivor, perhaps you know someone who is. Please feel free to share this website with that person. This website is also a place where Survivor's can share their story, a poem, or words of encouragement with a survivor or anyone who chooses to visit our site.

I praise God for allowing me to survive being sexually assaulted because I now know what my purpose in this life is - and that is to be an example to those survivors who may feel that they can't move forward with their lives in a positive way. There was a time in my life when I thought that I'd never leave the confines of my mother's bedroom which was where I retreated after the attack. But I continued to pray to God for strength, peace, and sanity. I sought professional treatment and had an awesome support system.

It's been 15 years since that cold November night, but today I am happily married, have two beautiful daughters, and living life to the fullest. The road to recovery is not easy, but I made it and you can as well. Don't get me wrong, I still have flashbacks from time to time, but I've learned not to let them consume me. I know who I am and what I'm worth...I'm worth more than my attacker thought I was and like the Phoenix, I will continue to rise.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Repost: From Being a Survivor to Becoming an Overcomer...

A little about my Mother-in-love the Rev. Dr. Joan L. Wharton...

Joan L. Wharton, D. Min., the pastor of Mt. Zion AME Church, Long Green, Maryland, Executive Director of One Church, One Child of Maryland, Inc., founder of Season Women Ministires and president of the Second Epsicopal District Women in Ministry of the AME Church is best known for her love and work on behalf of children and for her advocacy of women self actualization. Her leadership in developing nationwide faith-based programs that minister to the needs of teenage mothers and youth has been lauded by local and national organizations.

As a church development consultant, revivalist, retreat presenter, and teacher, Dr. Wharton is widely published. She is the author ofseveral handbooks for developing youth and women ministries, including, AHandbook to Be Used for Effective Youth Ministry.Shehas written articles for the National Council of Churches and some of her writings, meditations and prayers are included in their publications such as TheWomen of Color Study Bible, edited by Marjorie H. Lawson, Sister to Sister: Devotions For and From African American Women,edited by Suzan D. Johnson Cook, andWomen in Ministry: Their Trials and Their Triumphs by Dr. Mankekolo Ngcobo.

In 2004 she published,Seasonal Women: A Collection of Meditations and Reflections for Women of All Seasons. In 2005 she published, TGIF-Thank God I’m Fasting: A 40 Day Journey of Prayers and Meditationswhich is one of her most cherished works. Her latest publication, TGIF-Thank God I’m Fasting! 40-Day Daniel Fast Prayer Journal was launched last year.

Dr. Wharton is the proud mother of two sons, Darnyle and Simeon and two daughters, Danielle Cage Wharton and Angela Wharton. Her pride and joy are her granddaughters, Asia Nia Wharton, Laila Jean Wharton and Simone Joyce Wharton.

From Being a Survivor to Becoming an Overcomer

1 John 5:1-6

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

Years ago Beyonce and Destiny’s Child sang a song entitled SURVIVOR… some of the lyrics go like this

I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon give up (What?)
I'm not gon stop (What?)
I'm gon work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)And then Gloria Gaynor swept the world with her number one hit I Will Survive… some of the lyrics go like thisOh, no not I, I will survive, Oh as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive; I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give ;And I, l will survive, I will survive....Hey, hey I will survive.

We in Baltimore some weeks ago survived and overcame an earthquake, tornado and multitude of flooding.

What does it mean to be a Survivor? In our world today we talk about all kinds of survivors: cancer survivors, abuse survivors, tornado survivors, earthquake survivors and the list goes on and on! It is great to be a survivor but I want to do more than just survive.

Well the Bible does not use the word “survivor” but it does use the word “overcomer.” The root word for overcome has a very interesting meaning in the original language (Greek) it means to prevail, to pass over, to gain the victory (20 times). I don’t want to settle for just surviving, I want to get the victory; I want to be an overcomer!

In order to grasp what it means to be a Spiritual Survivor we want to ask and answer a series of three questions.

Question Number One is WHAT MUST WE OVERCOME?

1 John 2:15-16. The Bible says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (NKJV)

Here the world is described as over-fold enemy. The Lust of the flesh; this speaks of passion, Lust of the eyes, this speaks of possession, the Pride of Life, this speaks of position. This is the uncontrolled ambition, the desire to put oneself first. The world still attacks us through these three areas of temptation.

Jesus taught his disciples to be confident and optimistic. Jesus said in John 16:33, “…In this world you will you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” We can be overcomers because Jesus was an overcomer. The Lord has provided a way for the believer to be victorious over every enemy he faces.

Question two is HOW CAN WE BECOME OVERCOMERS?

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.” 1 John 5:1-6 (NKJV)

This text reveals that we will face powerful opposition in this world. This opposition is necessary. Helen Keller, famous for the difficulties she overcame being born blind made the observation that, “The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were not limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to cross.” It is the difficulties in life that give us the opportunity to know what it is like to have victory. This text reveals three resources that are given to us to enable us to be overcomers.

Survivors first being an overcomer demands that we be born again. There is not one lost person alive today who can honestly say that they are living joyful, fulfilled and victorious lives. That person does not have the ingredient necessary for a victorious life. There is a void in their lives that can only be filled successfully with Christ.

Survivors, secondly it requires a Belief (vv. 4b-5). “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” You do not become an overcomer by trying. You become an overcomer by trusting. It is by belief or faith that we are born again. When we by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior we are born again. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (NKJV) If you want to be victorious, it is time to stop trying and start trusting. What are you trusting in today Survivors?

Finally survivors it requires the Blood. Verse six tells us that it requires the shed blood of Jesus that we can have the victory over sin and death. In our modern day we do not like to talk about the Blood but the Bible tells us, “without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin)” Hebrew 9:22. Sin demands a sacrifice. The payment for our sins requires an awesome price! The price for your sins was paid by Christ. We are told that redemption was made when Jesus once for all time entered into heaven with the offering of his blood (Heb 9:12) “…but with his own blood He entered the Most holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Jesus once for all time paid the price for your eternal redemption. Therefore we are redeemed “…with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19 NKJV)

But these are not three separate things that we must do! They are all part of a single act. We are born again when we by faith accept the payment that Jesus made through his blood.

Our last Question which is number three is HOW CAN WE LIVE LIKE OVERCOMERS?

John tells us in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (NKJV) We can overcome the obstacle, impediments, obstructions, barriers, blockages, problems, difficulties, hindrances, complications, hurdles and snags that we face in this life through the strength that we receive in the Lord. The believer is reminded in 1 John 4:4, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

God has provided us with a living hope, an invaluable inheritance and a precious faith which produces in us an inexpressible joy. Why? Because we know that God loves us and we have nothing to fear because we have a certain hope for life eternal after this life. We can rejoice because God has saved us.

From being a survivor to an overcomer is this - if you have been born again, you have already been made an overcomer in Him. We have already been given the victory through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our challenge now is to live in the light of the victory that has already been won. That’s why the hymnologist reminds us that:

Victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine. I told Satan to get thee behind, victory today is mine.

Verse:
When I rose this morning, I didn't have no doubt; I knew that the Lord would bring me out. I fell on my knees, said, "Lord help me please" got up singing and shouting the victory.

Happiness is mine, Peace is mine, Joy is mine, Love is mine, Gentleness is mine, Kindness is mine, Hope is mine, Faith is mine, Trust is mine, Confidence is mine, Assurance is mine, Praise is mine, Honor is mine, Worship is mine, Blessings is mine and victory today is mine. I told Satan to get thee behind, victory today is mine. You are more then a survivor – You are an overcomer.

What to do if you've been sexually assaulted...

How Sexual Assault Can Affect Us...

If you or someone you know has suffered through any form of sexual assault your life has been changed on a deep level. Survivors have many different reactions to sexual assault. These reaction may include:
-Shock and numbness
-Confusion
-Low self-worth
-Shame
-Guilt or self-blame
-Fear
-Loneliness
-Denial
-Depression
-Anger
-Embarrassment
-Betrayal

Sexual Assault Awareness

About me...

I'm a sexual assult survivor!!! I am not a therapist or doctor that can provide treatment of any kind. But I can tell you from experience that with God's help and professional assistance, you can get through this and get your life back on track. This site is not meant to take the place of visiting a trained professional, but it is merely a vehicle to inspire and help you seek the professional assistance needed. We have included a few helpful resources below, so please take a look; there's lots of useful information there. If you'd like to share your personal story, a poem or words of encouragement and or inspration for another survivor, please hit me up at phynyxministries@gmail.com.
May the Lord continue to bless and strengthen you!
With love,
Phynyxx Skyy